Summary of Basics of Biblical Greek - Teknia
Summary of Basics of Biblical Greek - Teknia
Summary of Basics of Biblical Greek - Teknia
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<strong>Summary</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Basics</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Biblical</strong> <strong>Greek</strong><br />
William D. Mounce<br />
© 2000 William D. Mounce<br />
All Rights Reserved<br />
printing 10/19/2000<br />
1
2 <strong>Summary</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Basics</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Biblical</strong> <strong>Greek</strong><br />
Table <strong>of</strong> Contents<br />
English Grammar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .<br />
Alphabet, etc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .<br />
Alphabet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .<br />
Diphthongs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .<br />
<strong>Greek</strong> Noun Grammar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .<br />
English Verb Grammar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .<br />
<strong>Greek</strong> Verb Grammar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
English Noun Grammar 3<br />
Issues effecting inflection<br />
S.1 Cases.<br />
English Noun Grammar<br />
• If a word is the subject <strong>of</strong> the sentence, it is in the subjective case.<br />
• If a word shows possession, it is in the possessive case. You can either put “<strong>of</strong>” in front <strong>of</strong><br />
the word, an “apostrophe s” after the word, or just apostrophe if the word ends in “s”.<br />
• If a word is the direct object, it is in the objective case.<br />
• The indirect object is the person/thing that is “indirectly” affected by the action <strong>of</strong> the<br />
verb.<br />
S.2 Number. Words can be either singular or plural, depending upon whether they refer to one, or<br />
more than one.<br />
S.3 Gender. Some words, mostly pronouns, change their form depending upon whether they are<br />
referring to a masculine, feminine, or neuter object.<br />
• Natural gender means that a word takes on the gender <strong>of</strong> the object it represents.<br />
Parts <strong>of</strong> Speech<br />
S.4 Noun. A noun is a word that stands for someone or something.<br />
S.5 Adjective. An adjective is a word that modifies a noun (or another adjective).<br />
S.6 Prepositions. A preposition is a word that indicates the relationship between two words. The<br />
word that follows the preposition is called the object <strong>of</strong> the preposition. The object <strong>of</strong> the preposition<br />
is always in the objective case. The preposition together with its object and modifiers is<br />
called a prepositional phrase.<br />
General Issues<br />
S.7 Lexical form. Whereas most people call them “dictionaries,” scholars call them lexicons. The<br />
form <strong>of</strong> the word found in the lexicon is called the “lexical form.”<br />
S.8 Definite article. The definite article is the word “the.”<br />
S.9 Indefinite article. In English, the indefinite article is the word “a.” <strong>Greek</strong> does not have an<br />
indefinite article, although in certain circumstances you will be able to add “a” to your translation.<br />
S.10 Subject and Predicate. A sentence can be broken down into two parts. The term subject<br />
describes the subject <strong>of</strong> the verb and what modifies it. Predicate describes the rest <strong>of</strong> the sentence,<br />
including verb, direct object, etc.
4 <strong>Summary</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Basics</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Biblical</strong> <strong>Greek</strong><br />
S.11 An adjective is a word that modifies a noun or pronoun. They can function adjectivally or substantivally<br />
and be in one <strong>of</strong> three positions.<br />
• An attributive adjective gives a quality–an attribute–to the word it is modifying. It is normally<br />
articular, agreeing with the noun it modifies in case, number, and gender.<br />
• A substantival adjective has no word to modify but rather stands on its own and performs<br />
a function in the sentence. Its gender and number are determined by what it stands for, its<br />
case by its function in the sentence.<br />
• An adjective in the predicate position tells us–predicates–something about the word. A<br />
predicate adjective can function either adjectivally or substantivally and is always anarthrous.<br />
• When there is no article with the noun or the adjective, context decides its function.<br />
S.12 A pronoun is a word that replaces a noun.<br />
• A personal pronoun is a pronoun that replaces a noun referring to a person.<br />
• The word that a pronoun refers back to is the antecedent.<br />
• The same word can be either a pronoun (“That is mine.”) or an adjective (“That car is<br />
mine.”).<br />
S.13 Personal Pronouns. Pronouns can be first person, second person, or third person.<br />
• First person refers to the person speaking (“I”, “we”).<br />
• Second person refers to the person being spoken to (“you”).<br />
• Third person refers to all others (“he,” “she,” “it,” “they”).<br />
S.14 Demonstrative Ponouns. Demonstratives in English are “this/these” and “that/those”<br />
(singular/plural).<br />
S.15 Relative Pronouns. The relative pronouns in English are “who,” “whom,” “that,” “which,”<br />
and “whose.”<br />
• A relative pronoun introduces a clause that usually modifies a noun.<br />
• A relative clause is the relative pronoun and the clause it introduces. “The teacher who has<br />
a halo around his head teaches <strong>Greek</strong>.”<br />
S.16 Clauses. Clauses can perform many <strong>of</strong> the same functions as nouns and adjectives.<br />
• Subject (“Whoever is with me is not against me.”)<br />
• Direct object (“I eat what is placed before me.”)<br />
• Object <strong>of</strong> a preposition (“Give the Bible to whomever asks for it.”)
Alphabet & diphthongs 5<br />
Alphabet<br />
Diphthongs<br />
Alphabet & Diphthongs<br />
Alpha a[lfa a A a a as in father<br />
Beta bh'ta b B b b as in Bible<br />
Gamma gavmma g G g g as in gone<br />
Delta devlta d D d d as in dog<br />
Epsilon e] yilovn e E e e as in met<br />
Zeta zh'ta z Z z z as in daze<br />
Eta h\ta e H h e as in obey<br />
Theta qh'ta th Q q th as in thing<br />
Iota ijw'ta i I i i as in intrigue<br />
Kappa kavppa k K k k as in kitchen<br />
Lambda lavmbda l L l l as in law<br />
Mu mu' m M m m as in mother<br />
Nu nu' n N n n as in new<br />
Xsi (xi) xiæ xs X x x as in axiom<br />
Omicron o] mikrovn o O o o as in not<br />
Pi pi' p P p p as in peach<br />
Rho rJw' r R r r as in rod<br />
Sigma sivgma s S s/" s as in study<br />
Tau tau' t T t t as in talk<br />
Upsilon u\ yilovn u/y U u u as the German ü<br />
Phi fi' ph F f ph as in phone<br />
Chi ci' ch C c ch as in loch<br />
Psi yi' ps Y y ps as in lips<br />
Omega w\ mevga o W w o as in tone<br />
ai as in aisle ai[rw<br />
ei as in eight eij<br />
oi as in oil oijkiva<br />
au as in sauerkraut aujtov"<br />
ou as in soup oujdev<br />
ui as in suite uiJov"<br />
eu, hu as in feud eujquv" / hu[xanen
6 <strong>Summary</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Basics</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Biblical</strong> <strong>Greek</strong><br />
Issues effecting inflection<br />
<strong>Greek</strong> Noun Grammar<br />
S.17 Stem. If you take the case ending <strong>of</strong>f a noun you are left with the stem. If it is a third declension<br />
stem, drop the genitive case ending.<br />
S.18 Gender. A noun is either masculine, feminine, or neuter. A noun has only one gender and it<br />
never varies.<br />
S.19 Case endings. The case <strong>of</strong> a word in <strong>Greek</strong> is indicated by the “case ending.” This is a suffix<br />
added to the end <strong>of</strong> the word.<br />
S.20 Declensions. There are three basic inflectional patterns that a word can follow. Each <strong>of</strong> these<br />
patterns is called a “declension.” Which pattern a word follows has no effect on its meaning,<br />
only its form<br />
Cases<br />
• Nouns that have a stem ending in an alpha or eta are first declension, take first declension<br />
endings, and are primarily feminine (e.g., grafhv).<br />
• Nouns that have a stem ending in an omicron are second declension, take second declension<br />
endings, and are mostly masculine or neuter (e.g., ajpovstolo"; e[rgon).<br />
• If the stem <strong>of</strong> a word ends in a consonant it is third declension (e.g., savrx).<br />
S.21 Nominative. The nominative case is used to indicate the subject <strong>of</strong> a verb and the predicate<br />
nominative.<br />
S.22 Genitive. The genitive case indicates possession. The word in the genitive usually follows the<br />
word it is modifying (novmoi tou' qeou').<br />
S.23 Dative. The dative case is used to indicate an indirect object.<br />
S.24 Accusative. If a word is the direct object <strong>of</strong> the verb it will be in the accusative case.<br />
S.25 Vocative. The vocative case is the case <strong>of</strong> direct address.<br />
S.26 Word order. Grammatical function is not determined by word order but by case endings.<br />
• As a general rule, try to maintain the same order <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Greek</strong> words in your translation if<br />
possible.<br />
S.27 Lexical form. The lexical form <strong>of</strong> a noun is its nominative singular form.<br />
S.28 Parse. When asked to “parse” a word, you are to specify the case, number, gender, lexical form,<br />
and meaning <strong>of</strong> the inflected form.
<strong>Greek</strong> Noun Grammar 7<br />
<strong>Greek</strong> Cases<br />
English cases <strong>Greek</strong> cases and uses Question Key word<br />
1. Subjective (he) 1. NOMINATIVE Who? What?<br />
a. Subject <strong>of</strong> the verb<br />
b. Predicate <strong>of</strong> “is”<br />
VOCATIVE (direct address) “O”<br />
2. Possessive (his) 2. GENITIVE Whose?<br />
a. Possessive “<strong>of</strong>”<br />
b. Object <strong>of</strong> Preposition<br />
c. Direct object<br />
3. Objective (him) 3. DATIVE<br />
d. Ablative (separation) “from”<br />
a. Indirect object to whom? “to” /”for”<br />
b. Object <strong>of</strong> Preposition<br />
c. Direct object<br />
4. Objective (him) 4. ACCUSATIVE<br />
Formula for key word usage:<br />
to what?<br />
d. Instrumental (means) by what? “by”/“with”<br />
e. Locative (place) where? “in”<br />
a. Direct object <strong>of</strong> the verb whom?<br />
b. Object <strong>of</strong> preposition<br />
what?<br />
The word has the ____ case ending, so I know that it functions as the _______ in the sentence; therefore<br />
I translate it with the key word _____ .
8 <strong>Summary</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Basics</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Biblical</strong> <strong>Greek</strong><br />
Master Case Ending Chart<br />
A dash means that no case ending is used. An underline means that the final stem vowel changes to the<br />
one listed in the chart (rule 5).<br />
first/second declension third declension<br />
masc fem neut masc/fem neut<br />
nom sg " - n " - -<br />
gen sg u " u o" o"<br />
dat sg i i i i i<br />
acc sg n n n a/n -<br />
nom pl i i a e" a<br />
gen pl wn wn wn wn wn<br />
dat pl i" i" i" si(n) si(n)<br />
acc pl u" " a a" a<br />
The Basic Rules Governing Case Endings<br />
S.29 Rule 1. Stems ending in alpha or eta are in the first declension, stems in omicron are in the<br />
second, and consonantal stems are in the third.<br />
S.30 Rule 2. Every neuter word has the same form in the nominative and accusative.<br />
S.31 Rule 3. Almost all neuter words end in alpha in the nominative and accusative plural.<br />
• In the second declension the alpha is the changed stem vowel; in the third it is<br />
the case ending.<br />
S.32 Rule 4. In the dative singular, the iota subscripts if possible.<br />
• Because an iota can subscript only under a vowel (in which case the vowel<br />
lengthens), it subscripts only in the first and second declensions.<br />
S.33 Rule 5. Vowels <strong>of</strong>ten change their length (“ablaut”).<br />
• “Contraction” occurs when two vowels meet and form a different vowel or diphthong<br />
(logo + i ≥ lovgw/).<br />
• “Compensatory lengthening” occurs when a vowel is lengthened to compensate<br />
for the loss <strong>of</strong> another letter (logo + n" ≥ lovgo" ≥ lovgou").<br />
S.34 Rule 6. In the genitive and dative, the masculine and neuter will always be identical.
<strong>Greek</strong> Noun Grammar 9<br />
S.35 Rule 7. The Square <strong>of</strong> Stops (showing what happens when joined with s).<br />
• The nt combination drops out when followed by sigma (pant + " ≥ pa'").<br />
• Whatever happens in the nominative singular third declension also happens in<br />
the dative plural. sark + s ≥ sarx. sark + si ≥ savrxi.<br />
S.36 Rule 8. A tau cannot stand at the end <strong>of</strong> a word and will drop <strong>of</strong>f.<br />
Select Paradigms<br />
• When no case ending is used in stems ending in -mat, the tau drops out (ojnomat<br />
+ - ≥ ojnomat ≥ o[noma).<br />
S.37 First and second declension<br />
Labials p b f ≥ y<br />
Velars k g c ≥ x<br />
Dentals t d q ≥ s<br />
2 1 2<br />
masc fem neut<br />
nom sg oJ lovgo" hJ grafhv to; e[rgon<br />
hJ w{ra<br />
gen sg tou' lovgou th'" grafh'" tou' e[rgou<br />
th'" w{ra"<br />
dat sg tw'/<br />
lovgw/ th'/<br />
grafh'/<br />
tw'/<br />
e[rgw/<br />
th'/<br />
w{ra/<br />
acc sg to;n lovgon th;n grafhvn to; e[rgon<br />
th;n w{ran<br />
nom pl oiJ lovgoi aiJ grafaiv ta; e[rga<br />
gen pl tw'n lovgwn tw'n grafw'n tw'n e[rgwn<br />
dat pl toi'" lovgoi" tai'" grafai'" toi'" e[rgoi"<br />
acc pl tou;" lovgou" ta;" grafav" ta; e[rga
10 <strong>Summary</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Basics</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Biblical</strong> <strong>Greek</strong><br />
S.38 Third declension forms<br />
S.39<br />
*sark *carit *onomat *pisti<br />
nom sg: savrx cavri " o[noma pi√sti "<br />
gen sg: sark ov" cavrit o" ojnovmat o" pi√ste w"<br />
dat sg: sark i√ cavrit i ojnovmat i pi√ste i<br />
acc sg: savrk a cavrit a o[noma pi√sti n<br />
nom pl: savrk e" cavrit e" ojnovmat a pi√ste i"<br />
gen pl: sark w'n cari√t wn ojnomavt wn pi√ste wn<br />
dat pl: sarx i√(n) cavri si(n) ojnovma si(n) pi√ste si(n)<br />
acc pl: savrk a" cavrit a" ojnovmat a pi√ste i"<br />
3 1 3<br />
masc fem neut<br />
nom sg pa'" pa'sa pa'n<br />
gen sg pantov" pavsh" pantov"<br />
dat sg panti√ pavsh/ panti√<br />
acc sg pavnta pa'san pa'n<br />
nom pl pavnte" pa'sai pavnta<br />
gen pl pavntwn pasw'n pavntwn<br />
dat pl pa'si(n) pavsai" pa'si(n)<br />
acc pl pavnta" pavsa" pavnta<br />
S.40 Vocative.<br />
• In the plural, the vocative is always identical to the nominative plural (a[nqrwpoi).<br />
• In the singular first declension, the vocative is the same as the nominative (ajdelfhv).<br />
• In the singular second declension, the vocative ending is usually epsilon. If you were<br />
speaking directly to a man you would say, a[nqrwpe.<br />
• In the singular third declension, the vocative is usually the bare stem <strong>of</strong> the word, sometimes<br />
with the stem vowel being changed due to ablaut. The vocative <strong>of</strong> pathvr is pavter.<br />
Definite Article<br />
S.41 Agreement. The article has case, number, and gender. The article always agrees with the noun<br />
that it modifies in case, number, and gender.<br />
S.42 Article. The <strong>Greek</strong> article is usually translated “the.” The general rule is to translate according<br />
to the presence or absence <strong>of</strong> the article. If an article is present, translate it. If there is no article,<br />
do not use “the.”<br />
• There are times when the meaning <strong>of</strong> the article seems to shift. oJ dev means, “but he.”
<strong>Greek</strong> Noun Grammar 11<br />
Preposition<br />
S.43 The meaning <strong>of</strong> a preposition depends upon the case <strong>of</strong> its object. For example,<br />
• diav with the genitive means “through.”<br />
• diav with the accusative means “on account <strong>of</strong>” if its object is in the accusative.<br />
The object almost always immediately follows the preposition.<br />
S.44 If a word is the object <strong>of</strong> a preposition, do not use the key word.<br />
S.45 The form <strong>of</strong> a preposition does not vary depending on the case <strong>of</strong> its object.<br />
Adjectives<br />
• When a preposition ends in a vowel and the following word begins with a vowel, the final<br />
vowel <strong>of</strong> the preposition may be dropped and marked with an apostrophe (“elision”).<br />
meta; aujtovn ≥ met∆ aujtovn<br />
• When a preposition ends in a vowel and the following word begins with a vowel and rough<br />
breathing, the consonant before the vowel in the preposition <strong>of</strong>ten changes as well.<br />
meta; w|n ≥ meq∆ w|n<br />
S.46 Function. Adjectives can function one <strong>of</strong> two ways.<br />
• When an adjective functions adjectivally, the adjective agrees with the noun it modifies in<br />
case, number, and gender.<br />
• When an adjective functions substantivally, its case is determined by its function. Its gender<br />
and number are determined by what it stands for.<br />
S.47 Positions. Adjectives can occur in one <strong>of</strong> three positions.<br />
• An adjective in the attributive position is immediately preceded by the article.<br />
• An adjective in the predicate position is not immediately preceded by the article. The noun<br />
is modified by the article.<br />
• If there is no noun for the adjective to modify, the adjective must be functioning substantivally.<br />
Adjectives used substantivally are regularly (but not always) preceded by the article.<br />
S.48 When there is no article before the noun or adjective (“independent position”), check the context<br />
to determine your translation.
12 <strong>Summary</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Basics</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Biblical</strong> <strong>Greek</strong><br />
S.49 Adjectives fall into four basic categories, depending on which declension they follow and<br />
whether the feminine and masculine forms are the same or different. The masculine and neuter<br />
always follow the same declension.<br />
Pronouns<br />
S.50 Form<br />
• A pronoun always takes its number and gender from another word, either the word it is<br />
modifying or its antecedent.<br />
• A pronoun takes its case from two possible sources. (1) If it is modifying a word (like an<br />
adjective), it agrees with that word in case (as well as number and gender). (2) Otherwise,<br />
it takes its case from its function in the relative clause.<br />
• Pronouns, other than personal pronouns, always introduce a dependent clause.<br />
S.51 Personal pronouns<br />
first second translation<br />
nom sg ejgwv suv I you<br />
gen sg mou (ejmou') sou (sou') my your<br />
dat sg moi (ejmoi√) soi (soi√) to me to you<br />
acc sg me (ejmev) se (sev) me you<br />
nom pl hJmei'" uJmei'" we you<br />
gen pl hJmw'n uJmw'n our your<br />
dat pl hJmi'n uJmi'n to us to you<br />
acc pl hJma'" uJma'" us you<br />
• aujtov" can function as the third person personal pronoun.<br />
S.52 Other uses <strong>of</strong><br />
• Adjectival intensive. aujtov" can also function intensively when it is used adjectivally. In<br />
this case aujtov" normally modifies another word and is usually in the predicate position.<br />
Translate aujtov" with the reflexive pronoun (himself, herself, itself, themselves, etc.). In this<br />
case, aujtov" is usually in the nominative case and modifies the subject.<br />
• Identical adjective. aujtov" is sometimes used as the identical adjective meaning “same.” It<br />
is normally in the attributive position when used this way, but not always.<br />
S.53 Demonstrative pronouns<br />
category masculine feminine neuter<br />
2-1-2 2 declension 1 declension 2 declension<br />
3-1-3 3 declension 1 declension 3 declension<br />
2-2 2 declension 2 declension 2 declension<br />
3-3 3 declension 3 declension 3 declension<br />
• The demonstratives in <strong>Greek</strong> are ou|to" (this/these) and ejkeiæno" (that/those).
<strong>Greek</strong> Noun Grammar 13<br />
• When a demonstrative functions as a pronoun, its case is determined by its function in the<br />
sentence.<br />
• If a demonstrative is functioning as an adjective, it is written in the predicate position<br />
although it is translated as an attributive adjective.<br />
• A demonstrative can weaken in force and be used as a personal pronoun.<br />
• The forms <strong>of</strong> ou|to"<br />
masc fem neut masc fem neut<br />
nom ou|to" au{th tou'to ou|toi au|tai tau'ta<br />
gen touvtou tauvth" touvtou touvtwn touvtwn touvtwn<br />
dat touvtw/ tauvth/ touvtw/ touvtoi" tauvtai" touvtoi"<br />
acc tou'ton tauvthn tou'to touvtou" tauvta" tau'ta<br />
S.54 Relative pronouns<br />
• If the relative clause modifies a word, then the relative pronoun is translated with the simple<br />
“who,” “which,” or “that.”<br />
The man who is sitting at the table is my pastor.<br />
• Relative clauses can perform almost any function that a noun can. In these cases, it may be<br />
necessary to add a pronoun to the clause.<br />
Dependent Clauses<br />
2 1 2<br />
masc fem neut translation<br />
nom sg o{" h{ o{ who/which/that<br />
gen sg ou| h|" ou| <strong>of</strong> whom/which<br />
dat sg w/ | h/ | w/ | to whom/which<br />
acc sg o{n h{n o{ whom/which/that<br />
nom pl oi{ ai{ a{ who/which/that<br />
gen pl w|n w|n w|n <strong>of</strong> whom/which<br />
dat pl oi|" ai|" oi|" to whom/which<br />
acc pl ou{" a{" a{ whom/which/that<br />
S.55 A dependent clause is a collection <strong>of</strong> words that cannot stand alone. It has meaning only when<br />
it is part <strong>of</strong> a complete sentence; it is dependent upon that sentence. As you are looking for the<br />
main subject and verb in a sentence, you will never find them in the dependent clause.<br />
• i{na • ejavn • eij • o{pwß<br />
• o{ti • w{ste • kaqwvß • o{ß, h{, o{<br />
S.56 Personal pronouns in the nominative. When a personal pronoun occurs in the nominative, it<br />
is for emphasis or to clarify the gender <strong>of</strong> the subject. Often the emphasis is by way <strong>of</strong> contrast.<br />
oujc wJ" ejgw; qevlw ajll∆ wJ" suv (Matt 26:39).<br />
Not as I will but as you (will).
14 <strong>Summary</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Basics</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Biblical</strong> <strong>Greek</strong><br />
English Verbal Grammar<br />
Terms<br />
S.57 Verb. A verb is a word that describes action or state <strong>of</strong> being. “I am studying <strong>Greek</strong>.” “<strong>Greek</strong> is<br />
the heavenly language.”<br />
S.58 Agreement. A verb must agree with its subject in person (first, second, or third) and number<br />
(singular or plural). A <strong>Greek</strong> verb accomplishes this by using personal endings.<br />
• The <strong>Greek</strong> sentence does not require an expressed subject.<br />
S.59 Tense. “Tense” in English refers to the time when the action <strong>of</strong> the verb takes place. English<br />
verbs are centered on three different tenses (present, past, past perfect). From these three forms<br />
all the variations <strong>of</strong> the verb are formed.<br />
• If you study your <strong>Greek</strong> right now, then the verb is in the present tense (“study”).<br />
• If you are planning on studying tomorrow, then the verb is in the future tense (“will<br />
study”).<br />
• If you studied last night, then the verb is in the past tense (“studied”).<br />
• When you use the helping verbs “have” or “has” (past perfect), the action described was<br />
done in the (recent) past and the statement is accurate up to now.<br />
• The English present can describe an action with current consequences (“It is written”). This<br />
is close to the <strong>Greek</strong> perfect.<br />
S.60 Formation <strong>of</strong> English Tenses<br />
Past simple Past progressive Past perfect<br />
regular active I studied I was studying I had studied<br />
irregular active I ate I was eating I had eaten<br />
regular passive I was studied I was being studied I had been studied<br />
irregular passive I was eaten I was being eaten I had been eaten<br />
Present simple Present progressive Present perfect<br />
regular active I study I am studying I have studied<br />
irregular active I eat I am eating I have eaten<br />
regular passive I am studied I am being studied I have been studied<br />
irregular passive I am eaten I am being eaten I have been eaten<br />
Future simple Future progressive Future perfect<br />
regular active I will study I will be studying I will have studied<br />
irregular active I will eat I will be eating I will have eaten<br />
regular passive I will be studied I will be being studied I will have been studied<br />
irregular passive I will be eaten I will be being eaten I will have been eaten<br />
• The past tense <strong>of</strong> an English verb is formed one <strong>of</strong> two ways. A regular verb forms its past<br />
tense by adding “-ed.” “I study all the time.” “I studied all last night.” An irregular verb
English Verbal Grammar 15<br />
forms its past tense by altering its actual stem. Usually the vowel is changed. “I eat breakfast<br />
every morning.” “I ate last night as well.”<br />
S.61 Voice. “Voice” refers to the relationship between the subject and the verb.<br />
• If the subject does the action <strong>of</strong> the verb, then the verb is in the active voice. “Bill hit the ball.<br />
• If the subject receives the action <strong>of</strong> the verb, the verb is in the passive voice. “Bill was hit by<br />
the ball.” Sometimes there will be a prepositional phrase specifying who or what is doing<br />
the action <strong>of</strong> the verb (e.g., “by the ball”).<br />
• <strong>Greek</strong> has a third voice called the middle (see below).<br />
S.62 Mood. Mood refers to the relationship between the verb and reality.<br />
• A verb is in the indicative if it is describing something that is, as opposed to something that<br />
may or might be (including statements and questions).
16 <strong>Summary</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Basics</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Biblical</strong> <strong>Greek</strong><br />
<strong>Greek</strong> Verbal Grammar<br />
Formation<br />
S.63 Augment. <strong>Greek</strong> indicates that a verb is in the past time by adding an “augment.”<br />
• If the verb begins with a consonant, the augment is an epsilon, always with smooth breathing<br />
(luvw ≥ e[luon).<br />
• If a word begins with a single vowel, the augment is formed by lengthening that vowel (a ≥ h,<br />
e ≥ h, o ≥ w).<br />
• If a verb begins with a diphthong, either the first letter <strong>of</strong> the diphthong lengthens (eujcaristevw<br />
≥ hujcari√stoun), or the diphthong is not changed at all (euJrivskw ≥ eu{riskon).<br />
S.64 Consonantal reduplication. If a verb begins with a single consonant, that consonant is reduplicated<br />
and the two consonants are separated by an epsilon (lu ≥ lelu ≥ levluka).<br />
• If the consonant that was reduplicated is f, c, or q, the reduplicated consonant will change<br />
to p, k, or t, respectively (fanerovw ≥ fefanero ≥ pefanevrwka).<br />
S.65 Vocalic reduplication. If a verb begins with a vowel or diphthong, the vowel is lengthened.<br />
The vocalic reduplication is identical in form to the augment in the imperfect and aorist<br />
(ajgapavw ≥ hjgavphka).<br />
• If the verb begins with two consonants, the verb will usually undergo vocalic reduplication<br />
and not consonantal reduplication (*gno (ginwvskw) ≥ e[gnwka).<br />
S.66 Stem. The stem <strong>of</strong> a verb is the part <strong>of</strong> the verb that carries its basic meaning. The form luvomen<br />
means “We destroy.” The stem is *lu. Lexicons list up to six different tense forms <strong>of</strong> a verb.<br />
ajgapavw, ajgaphvsw, hjgavphsa, hjgavphka, hjgaphvmai, ajgaphqhvsomai<br />
They are: present; future active middle; aorist active/middle, perfect active; perfect middle<br />
passive; aorist passive (future passive). If the verb occurs in the New Testament in the imperfect,<br />
we have included the imperfect as well, but in parentheses.<br />
e[rcomai, (hjrcovmhn), ejleuvsomai, h\lqon or h\lqa, ejlhvluqa, -, -<br />
If the aorist passive does not occur but the future passive does, then we list the future passive<br />
as the sixth form (e.g., ajgaphqhvsomai).<br />
S.67 Tense formative. The tense formative is a letter or group <strong>of</strong> letters added to the end <strong>of</strong> the tense<br />
stem to form a specific tense.<br />
S.68 Connecting vowel. A connecting vowel is added between the tense stem and a suffix (e.g.,<br />
tense formative, personal ending) to aid in pronunciation.<br />
• In the indicative mood, if the personal ending begins with mu or nu, the connecting vowel<br />
is omicron (leg + o + men ≥ levgomen); the connecting vowel in every other case is epsilon (leg<br />
+ e + te ≥ levgete). If no personal ending is used, the connecting vowel can be either omicron<br />
or epsilon.<br />
S.69 Lexical form. The lexical form <strong>of</strong> verbs is the first person singular, present indicative.<br />
• Deponent verbs will show a present middle/passive lexical form.
<strong>Greek</strong> Verbal Grammar 17<br />
S.70 Parse. When you parse verbs, specify the verb’s tense, voice, mood, person, number, lexical<br />
form, definition <strong>of</strong> inflected form.<br />
S.71 Deponent. A deponent verb is middle or passive in form but active in meaning. You can tell if<br />
a verb is deponent in a particular tense by looking at its lexical form.<br />
• If a verb is a present middle or passive deponent (and therefore the imperfect), its lexical<br />
form will end in omai.<br />
• If a verb is a future middle deponent, its second tense form will end in -omai. If a verb has<br />
a future passive deponent, it will not have a second tense form but it will have a sixth.<br />
• If a verb is an aorist middle deponent, its third tense form will end in -hmhn.<br />
• If a verb is a perfect middle or passive deponent, it will not have a fourth tense form but it<br />
will have a fifth.<br />
• If a verb is an aorist passive deponent, it will not have a third tense form but it will have a<br />
sixth.
18 <strong>Summary</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Basics</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Biblical</strong> <strong>Greek</strong><br />
S.72 Personal endings. Personal endings are suffixes that are added to the end <strong>of</strong> the verb and indicate<br />
person and number. Primary personal endings are used in the unaugmented tenses, and<br />
the secondary are used in the augmented tenses.<br />
primary tenses<br />
luvw (-)<br />
luvei" (")<br />
luvei (i)<br />
luvomen (men)<br />
luvete (te)<br />
luvousi(n) (nsi)<br />
luvomai (mai)<br />
luvh/ (sai)<br />
luvetai (tai)<br />
luovmeqa (meqa)<br />
luvesqe (sqe)<br />
luvontai (ntai)<br />
secondary tenses<br />
e[luon (n)<br />
e[lue" (")<br />
e[lue(n) (-)<br />
ejluvomen (men)<br />
ejluvete (te)<br />
e[luon (n)<br />
ejluovmhn (mhn)<br />
ejluvou (so)<br />
ejluveto (to)<br />
ejluovmeqa (meqa)<br />
ejluvesqe (sqe)<br />
ejluvonto (nto)<br />
primary secondary<br />
regular alternate regular alternate<br />
active<br />
1 sg luvw o - mi e[luon o n<br />
2 sg luvei" e " e[lue" e "<br />
3 sg luvei e i si(n) e[lue e -<br />
1pl luvomen o men ejluvomen o men<br />
2 pl luvete e te ejluvete e te<br />
3 pl luvousi(n) o nsi(n) asi(n) e[luon o n san<br />
middle/passive<br />
1 sg luvomai o mai ejluovmhn o mhn<br />
2 sg luvh/ e sai ejluvou e so<br />
3 sg luvetai e tai ejluveto e to<br />
1 pl luovmeqa o meqa ejluovmeqa o meqa<br />
2 pl luvesqe e sqe ejluvesqe e sqe<br />
3 pl luvontai o ntai ejluvonto o nto
<strong>Greek</strong> Verbal Grammar 19<br />
S.73 The Master Verb Chart summarizes all these issues. It must be learned perfectly.<br />
Master Verb Chart<br />
Tense Aug/ Tense Tense Conn. Personal 1st sing<br />
Redup stem form. vowel endings paradigm<br />
Present act pres o/e prim act luvw<br />
Present mid/pas pres o/e prim mid/pas luvomai<br />
Imperfect act e pres o/e sec act e[luon<br />
Imperfect mid/pas e pres o/e sec mid/pas ejluovmhn<br />
Future act fut act s o/e prim act luvsw<br />
Liquid fut act fut act es o/e prim act menw'<br />
Future mid fut act s o/e prim mid/pas poreuvsomai<br />
1st future pas aor pas qhs o/e prim mid/pas luqhvsomai<br />
2nd future pas aor pas hs o/e prim mid/pas ajpostalhvsomai<br />
1st aorist act e aor act sa sec act e[lusa<br />
Liquid aorist act e aor act a sec act e[meina<br />
2nd aorist act e aor act o/e sec act e[labon<br />
1st aorist mid e aor act sa sec mid/pas ejlusavmhn<br />
2nd aorist mid e aor act o/e sec mid/pas ejgenovmhn<br />
1st aorist pas e aor pas qh sec act ejluvqhn<br />
2nd aorist pas e aor pas h sec act ejgravfhn<br />
1st perfect act le perf act ka prim act levluka<br />
2nd perfect act le perf act a prim act gevgona<br />
Perfect mid/pas le perf pas prim mid/pas levlumai<br />
pres act subj pres w/h prim act luvsw<br />
pres mid/pas subj pres w/h prim mid/pas luvwmai<br />
1 aorist act subj aor act sa w/h prim act luvw<br />
1 aorist mid subj aor act sa w/h prim mid/pas luvswmai<br />
1 aorist pas subj aor pas qh w/h prim act luqw'<br />
2 aorist act subj aor act w/h prim act lavbw<br />
2 aorist mid subj aor act w/h prim mid/pas gevnwmai<br />
2 aorist pas subj aor pas w/h prim act grafw'
20 <strong>Summary</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Basics</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Biblical</strong> <strong>Greek</strong><br />
Aspect and Time<br />
Other Verbal Issues<br />
S.74 Aspect. The basic genius <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Greek</strong> verb is not its ability to indicate when the action <strong>of</strong> the<br />
verb occurs (time), but what type <strong>of</strong> action it describes, or what we call “aspect.”<br />
• The continuous (“imperfective”) aspect means that the action <strong>of</strong> the verb is thought <strong>of</strong> as<br />
an ongoing process.<br />
• The undefined (“perfective”) aspect means that the action <strong>of</strong> the verb is thought <strong>of</strong> as a simple<br />
event, without commenting on whether or not it is a process.<br />
• The perfect aspect describes an action that was brought to completion but has effects carrying<br />
into the present. “Jesus has died for our sins.” “It is written.” Because it describes a<br />
completed action, by implication the action normally occurred in the past.<br />
S.75 Tense. A <strong>Greek</strong> tense carries two connotations: aspect and time. We use the term “tense” to<br />
refer only to the form <strong>of</strong> the verb (e.g., present tense, future tense, aorist tense), and we do not<br />
use the term to designate when the action <strong>of</strong> a verb occurs. We always use the term “time” to<br />
describe “when” the action <strong>of</strong> that verb occurs.<br />
S.76 Time. The time <strong>of</strong> a <strong>Greek</strong> verb is always from the standpoint <strong>of</strong> the writer, not the reader.<br />
Middle Voice<br />
S.77 The vast majority <strong>of</strong> middle forms in the New Testament are deponent.<br />
S.78 Some words, even in the middle, have basically the same meaning as they have in the active.<br />
S.79 A few verbs have one meaning in the active and a totally different meaning in the middle. The<br />
most common example <strong>of</strong> this is a[rcw, which in the active means “I rule” but in the middle<br />
(a[rcomai) means “I begin.”<br />
S.80 The classical definition <strong>of</strong> the middle voice is that the action <strong>of</strong> a verb in the middle voice in<br />
some way affects the subject. We will call this the “self-interest” nuance <strong>of</strong> the middle.<br />
• This is not necessarily the reflexive idea. If the subject <strong>of</strong> the verb performs an action to<br />
itself, Hellenistic <strong>Greek</strong> normally requires the reflexive pronoun (eJautou'). Rather, in the<br />
middle the subject does the action <strong>of</strong> the verb to the direct object, and yet the action <strong>of</strong> the<br />
verb in some way affects the subject.<br />
aijtevw active: I ask<br />
middle: I ask (for myself)
<strong>Greek</strong> Verbal Grammar 21<br />
Roots and Stems<br />
S.81 The “root” <strong>of</strong> a verb is its most basic form. The “stem” <strong>of</strong> a verb is the basic form <strong>of</strong> that verb<br />
in a particular tense.<br />
S.82 The verbal root and the present tense stem can be the same, or the root can be altered when<br />
forming the present tense stem.<br />
• The present tense stem is never altered to form another tense stem; the present tense stem<br />
is <strong>of</strong>ten a modified form <strong>of</strong> the verbal root.<br />
• All tenses are formed from the root, never the present tense stem (except for the imperfect).<br />
S.83 Patterns<br />
• Pattern 1. Verbal Root and the Present Tense Stem are the same.<br />
• roots ending in an iota or upsilon (e.g., *ajkou ≥ ajkouvw; *ajkou ≥ ajkouvsw);<br />
• contract verbs (*poie ≥ poiew'; *poie ≥ poihvsw);<br />
• roots ending in a stop (*blep ≥ blevpw; *blep ≥ blevyw).<br />
• Pattern 2. Roots ending in a stop.<br />
• / verbs. The present tense stems <strong>of</strong> verbs that end in izw or azw are generally<br />
formed from roots that actually end in a dental.<br />
• verbs. The present tense stem <strong>of</strong> verbs that end in assw are generally<br />
formed from roots that actually end in a velar.<br />
• Pattern 3. Double consonants. Present tense stems that end in a double consonant are <strong>of</strong>ten<br />
from roots with a single consonant.<br />
• Pattern 4. Letter(s) added. Some roots add a letter or letters to form the present tense stem.<br />
The added letter will not appear in the other tenses.<br />
• Iota. Some roots add an iota to form the present tense stem.<br />
*ar + i ≥ ai[rw (present)<br />
*ar ≥ ajrw' (future)<br />
• Some roots add sk (or isk if the stem ends in a consonant) to form the<br />
present tense stem.<br />
*gno + sk≥ ginwvskw (present)<br />
*gno ≥ gnwvsomai (future)<br />
• Pattern 5. Different roots altogether. Some verbs have totally different forms in the future.<br />
*oJra ≥ oJravw I see<br />
*ojp ≥ o[yomai I will see
22 <strong>Summary</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Basics</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Biblical</strong> <strong>Greek</strong><br />
Present<br />
Tenses<br />
S.84 The present active indicative verb describes an action that usually occurs in the present. It can<br />
be either a continuous (“I am studying”) or undefined (“I study”) action.<br />
• <strong>Greek</strong> differentiates the present active from the present middle and passive by using two<br />
different sets <strong>of</strong> personal endings.<br />
Active<br />
1 sg luv w I am loosing o -<br />
2 sg luv ei" You are loosing e "<br />
3 sg luv ei He/she/it is loosing e i<br />
1 pl luv o men We are loosing o men<br />
2 pl luv e te You are loosing e te<br />
3 pl luv ousi(n) They are loosing o nsi<br />
Middle /Passive<br />
1 sg luv o mai I am being loosed o mai<br />
2 sg luv h/ You are being loosed e sai<br />
3 sg luv e tai He, she, it is being loosed e tai<br />
1 pl lu ov meqa We are being loosed o meqa<br />
2 pl luv e sqe You are being loosed e sqe<br />
3 pl luv o ntai They are being loosed o ntai)
<strong>Greek</strong> Verbal Grammar 23<br />
Future<br />
S.85 Meaning. The future tense describes an action that will occur in the future.<br />
S.86 Form. The future active and middle are the same form. The future passive is formed from the<br />
unaugmented aorist passive stem.<br />
S.87 Translation. As a general rule, translate the future with the undefined aspect (“I will eat”)<br />
rather than the continuous (“I will be eating”).<br />
future active<br />
1 sg luv s w I will loose o - luvw<br />
2 sg luv s ei" You will loose e " luvei"<br />
3 sg luv s ei He/she/it will loose e i luvei<br />
1 pl luv s omen We will loose o men luvomen<br />
2 pl luv s ete You will loose e te luvete<br />
3 pl luv s ousi(n) They will loose o nsi luvousi(n)<br />
future middle<br />
1 sg poreuv s o mai I will go o mai luvomai<br />
2 sg poreuv s h/ You will go e sai luvh/<br />
3 sg poreuv s e tai He/she/it will go e tai luvetai<br />
1 pl poreu s ov meqa We will go o meqa luovmeqa<br />
2 pl poreuv s e sqe You will go e sqe luvesqe<br />
3 pl poreuv s o ntai They will go o ntai luvontai<br />
first future passive<br />
1 sg lu qhvs o mai I will be loosed o mai<br />
2 sg lu qhvs h/ You will be loosed e sai<br />
3 sg lu qhvs e tai He/she/it will be loosed e tai<br />
1 pl lu qhs ov meqa We will be loosed o meqa<br />
2 pl lu qhvs e sqe You will be loosed e sqe<br />
3 pl lu qhvs o ntai They will be loosed o ntai<br />
Second future passive<br />
1 sg ajpostal hvs o mai I will be sent o mai<br />
2 sg ajpostal hvs h/ You will be sent e sai<br />
3 sg ajpostal hvs e tai He/she/it will be sent e tai<br />
1 pl ajpostal hs ov meqa We will be sent o meqa<br />
2 pl ajpostal hvs e sqe You will be sent e sqe<br />
3 pl ajpostal hvs o ntai They will be sent o ntai
24 <strong>Summary</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Basics</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Biblical</strong> <strong>Greek</strong><br />
Imperfect<br />
S.88 The imperfect tense is generally translated as a past tense, always with continuous aspect.<br />
Imperfect active<br />
1 sg e[ lu o n I was loosing o n luvw<br />
2 sg e[ lu e " You were loosing e " luvei"<br />
3 sg e[ lu e (n) He/she/it was loosing e - (n) luvei<br />
1 pl ej luv o men We were loosing o men luvomen<br />
2 pl ej luv e te You were loosing e te luvete<br />
3 pl e[ lu o n They were loosing o n\ luvousi(n)<br />
Imperfect middle/passive<br />
1 sg ej lu ov mhn I was being loosed o mhn luvomai<br />
2 sg ej luv o u You were being loosed e so luvh/<br />
3 sg ej luv e to He/she/it was being loosed e to luvetai<br />
1 pl ej lu ov meqa We were being loosed o meqa luovmeqa<br />
2 pl ej luv e sqe You were being loosed e sqe luvesqe<br />
3 pl ej luv o nto They were being loosed o nto luvontai
<strong>Greek</strong> Verbal Grammar 25<br />
Aorist<br />
S.89 The aorist tense describes an undefined action that normally occurs in the past.<br />
• The aorist is always undefined. In translation you use the simple form <strong>of</strong> the English past<br />
tense: “I studied”; not, “I was studying.”<br />
S.90 The <strong>Greek</strong> tense parallel to the English “regular” formation is called the first aorist while the<br />
“irregular” is called the second aorist.<br />
S.91 The middle and passive are distinctly different forms<br />
S.92 First aorist<br />
• The aorist active is formed from the first aorist tense stem, which is generally the same form<br />
as the present tense stem<br />
First aorist active<br />
1 sg e[ lu sa I loosed sa – e[labon<br />
2 sg e[ lu sa " You loosed sa " e[labe"<br />
3 sg e[ lu se (n) He/she/it loosed sa – (n) e[labe(n)<br />
1 pl ej luv sa men We loosed sa men ejlavbomen<br />
2 pl ej luv sa te You loosed sa te ejlavbete<br />
3 pl e[ lu sa n They loosed sa n e[labon<br />
First aorist middle<br />
1 sg ej lu sav mhn I loosed sa mhn ejgenovmhn<br />
2 sg ej luv s w You loosed sa so ejgevnou<br />
3 sg ej luv sa to He/she/it loosed sa to ejgevneto<br />
1 pl ej lu sav meqa We loosed sa meqa ejgenovmeqa<br />
2 pl ej luv sa sqe You loosed sa sqe ejgevnesqe<br />
3 pl ej luv sa nto They loosed sa nto ejgevnonto<br />
First aorist passive<br />
1 sg ej luv qh n I was loosed qh n e[luon<br />
2 sg ej luv qh " You were loosed qh " e[lue"<br />
3 sg ej luv qh He/she/it was loosed qh - e[lue<br />
1 pl ej luv qh men We were loosed qh men ejluvomen<br />
2 pl ej luv qh te You were loosed qh te ejluvete<br />
3 pl ej luv qh san They were loosed qh san e[luon<br />
• Stems ending in a stop (aorist active/middle). First aorist stems ending in a labial form a<br />
psi when joined to the tense formative. Stems ending in a velar (including assw verbs) form<br />
a xsi. Stems ending in a dental (including izw and azw verbs) lose the dental.
26 <strong>Summary</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Basics</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Biblical</strong> <strong>Greek</strong><br />
• Stems ending in a stop (aorist passive). If the final stem consonant is a stop, it changes to<br />
its corresponding aspirate before the q in the aorist passive (p/f ≥ q; k/g ≥ c; t/d ≥ s).<br />
• Second aorist stems with first aorist endings. Occasionally you will find certain second<br />
aorist forms with an alpha instead <strong>of</strong> an omicron as the connecting vowel (ei\pon ≥ ei\pan;<br />
h\lqon ≥ h\lqan).<br />
S.93 Second aorist<br />
• Stem. In the active voice, a second aorist will always have a different stem from the present<br />
because the root will always have been modified to form the present tense stem. The only<br />
difference between the imperfect and second aorist active is the tense stem (e.g., e[ballon<br />
vs. e[balon).<br />
Second aorist active<br />
1 sg e[ lab o n I took o n e[luon<br />
2 sg e[ lab e " You took e " e[lue"<br />
3 sg e[ lab e (n) He/she/it took e - (n) e[lue(n)<br />
1 pl ej lavb o men We took o men ejluvomen<br />
2 pl ej lavb e te You took e te ejluvete<br />
3 pl e[ lab o n They took o n e[luon<br />
Second aorist middle<br />
1 sg ej gen ov mhn I became o mhn ejluovmhn<br />
2 sg ej gevn o u You became e so ejluvou<br />
3 sg ej gevn e to He/she/it became e to ejluveto<br />
1 pl ej gen ov meqa We became o meqa ejluovmeqa<br />
2 pl ej gevn e sqe You became e sqe ejluvesqe<br />
3 pl ej gevn o nto They became o nto ejluvonto<br />
Second aorist passive<br />
1 sg ej gravf h n I was written h n ejluvqhn<br />
2 sg ej gravf h " You were written h " ejluvqh"<br />
3 sg ej gravf h He/she/it was written h - ejluvqh<br />
1 pl ej gravf h men We were written h men ejluvqhmen<br />
2 pl ej gravf h te You were written h te ejluvqhte<br />
3 pl ej gravf h san They were written h san ejluvqhsan
<strong>Greek</strong> Verbal Grammar 27<br />
Perfect<br />
S.94 Translation. The perfect can be translated two basic ways.<br />
• If the emphasis <strong>of</strong> the context is on the completion <strong>of</strong> the event, use the helping verbs<br />
“have/has” and the past participle form <strong>of</strong> the verb (e.g., “has eaten”).<br />
• If the emphasis <strong>of</strong> the context is on the current implications <strong>of</strong> the action, use the English<br />
present tense (“It is written.”)<br />
First perfect active<br />
1 sg levluka I have loosed ka - e[lusa<br />
2 sg levluka" You have loosed ka " e[lusa"<br />
3 sg levluke(n) He/she/it has loosed ke - (n) e[luse(n)<br />
1 pl leluvkamen We have loosed ka men ejluvsamen<br />
2 pl leluvkate You have loosed ka te ejluvsate<br />
3 pl leluvkasi(n) They have loosed ka si (n) e[lusan<br />
First perfect middle/passive<br />
1 sg levlumai I have been loosed mai luvomai<br />
2 sg levlusai You have been loosed sai luvh/<br />
3 sg levlutai He/she/it has been loosed tai luvetai<br />
1 pl leluvmeqa We have been loosed meqa luovmeqa<br />
2 pl levlusqe You have been loosed sqe luvesqe<br />
3 pl levluntai They have been loosed ntai luvontai
28 <strong>Summary</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Basics</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Biblical</strong> <strong>Greek</strong><br />
Overview <strong>of</strong> Indicative<br />
present imperfect future 1st aorist 2nd aorist perfect<br />
active indicative<br />
1 sg luvw e[luon luvsw e[lusa e[labon levluka<br />
2 sg luvei" e[ [lue" luvsei" e[lusa" e[labe" levluka"<br />
3 sg luvei e[lue(n) luvsei e[luse(n) e[labe(n) levluke(n)<br />
1 pl luvomen ejluvomen luvsomen ejluvsamen ejlavbomen leluvkamen<br />
2 pl luvete ejluvete luvsete ejluvsate ejlavbete leluvkate<br />
3 pl luvousi(n) e[luon luvsousi(n) e[lusan e[labon leluvkasi(n)<br />
middle indicative<br />
1 sg luvomai ejluovmhn luvsomai ejlusavmhn ejgenovmhn levlumai<br />
2 sg luvh/ ejluvou luvvsh/<br />
ejluvsw ejgevnou levlusai<br />
3 sg luvetai ejluveto luvsetai ejluvsato ejgevneto levlutai<br />
1 pl luovmeqa ejluovmeqa lusovmeqa ejlusavmeqa ejgenovmeqa leluvmeqa<br />
2 pl luvesqe ejluvesqe luvsesqe ejluvsasqe ejgevnesqe levlusqe<br />
3 pl luvontai ejluvonto luvsontai ejluvsanto ejgevnonto levluntai<br />
passive indicative<br />
1 sg luvomai ejluovmhn luqhvsomai ejluvqhn ejgravfhn levlumai<br />
2 sg luvh/ ejluvou luqhvsh/ ejluvqh" egravfh" levlusai<br />
3 sg luvetai ejluveto luqhvsetai ejluvqh ejgravfh levlutai<br />
1 pl luovmeqa ejluovmeqa luqhsovmeqa ejluvqhmen ejgravfhmen leluvmeqa<br />
2 pl luvesqe ejluvesqe luqhvsesqe ejluvqhte ejgravfhte levlusqe<br />
3 pl luvontai ejluvonto luqhvsontai ejluvqhsan ejgravfhsan levluntai<br />
present imperfect future<br />
1 sg eijmiv h[mhn e[somai<br />
2 sg ei\ h\", h\sqa e[sh/<br />
3 sg ejstiv(n) h\n e[stai<br />
1 pl ejsmevn h\men, h\meqa ejsovmeqa<br />
2 pl ejstev h\te e[sesqe<br />
3 pl eijsiv(n) h\san e[sontai<br />
• eijmi√ will be followed by a predicate nominative, not a direct object.
<strong>Greek</strong> Verbal Grammar 29<br />
Specialty Verbs<br />
S.95 For the paradigms <strong>of</strong> the following forms, see your textbook.<br />
Compound Verbs<br />
S.96 A compound verb is a verb that is made up <strong>of</strong> two parts, a preposition and a verb. For example,<br />
ejkbavllw (“I throw out”) is a compound <strong>of</strong> the preposition ejk (“out”) and the verb bavllw (“I<br />
throw”).<br />
S.97 Compound verbs form their tense stems the same way as the simple verb. For example, the<br />
future <strong>of</strong> bavllw is balw', and the future <strong>of</strong> ejkbavllw is ejkbalw'.<br />
S.98 The augment comes after the preposition and before the stem <strong>of</strong> the verb. The imperfect <strong>of</strong><br />
katabaivnw is katevbainon.<br />
• Whenever the preposition ends in a vowel, that final vowel will either drop out before the<br />
augment or in a few cases (such as compounds with periv) it stays but will not contract (e.g.,<br />
peripatevw ≥ periepavtoun).<br />
S.99 A compound verb reduplicates the verbal part <strong>of</strong> a compound verb, just like the imperfect and<br />
aorist augment the verbal part <strong>of</strong> a compound.<br />
Contract Verbs<br />
ejkbavllw ≥ ejkbevblhka<br />
S.100 Contract verbs are verbs whose stems end in alpha, epsilon, or omicron. When that final stem<br />
vowel comes into contact with the connecting vowel, the two vowels contract.<br />
• There always will be a circumflex over the contracted vowels in the present active indicative.<br />
• The lexical form shows the contract vowel (ajgapavw), but if that form actually occurs in the<br />
text the contract vowel and omicron will have contracted (ajgapw', poiw', plhrw').<br />
• In the first person singular, no personal ending is used so the connecting vowel lengthens<br />
to omega.<br />
• The second person singular seems to follow its own rules.<br />
S.101 Rules <strong>of</strong> Contraction<br />
1. ou is formed by eo, oe, and oo.<br />
ou ≤ eo poiou'men ≤ poieomen<br />
ou ≤ oe plhrou'te ≤ plhroete<br />
2. ei is formed by ee.<br />
ei ≤ ee poieiæte ≤ poieete<br />
3. w is formed from almost any combination <strong>of</strong> omicron or omega with any other vowel,<br />
except for rule #1.<br />
w ≤ ao ajgapw'men ≤ ajgapaomen<br />
w ≤ aou ajgapw'si ≤ ajgapaousi
30 <strong>Summary</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Basics</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Biblical</strong> <strong>Greek</strong><br />
4. a is formed from ae.<br />
a ≤ ae ajgapa'te ≤ ajgapaete<br />
a/ ≤ aei ajgapa/ ' ≤ ajgapaei<br />
5. h is formed from ea.<br />
/ h/ ≤ eai poih' ≤ poihi ≤ poieai ≤ poiesai<br />
6. Miscellaneous<br />
oi ≤ oei plhroiæ" ≤ plhroei"<br />
7. The contraction <strong>of</strong> diphthongs<br />
plhroiæ ≤ plhroei<br />
a. If the contract vowel and the first vowel <strong>of</strong> the diphthong are the same, they simplify.<br />
ei ≤ eei poieiæ" ≤ poieei"<br />
ou ≤ oou plhrou'si ≤ plhroousi<br />
b. If the contract vowel and the first vowel <strong>of</strong> the diphthong are different, they contract.<br />
If the second vowel <strong>of</strong> the diphthong is an iota, it subscripts if possible; if it is an upsilon<br />
it drops <strong>of</strong>f.<br />
ou ≤ eou poiou'sin ≤ poieousi<br />
8. Contract verbs contract as if the true personal endings are those visible in the present active<br />
indicative.<br />
S.102 Lengthening. The contract vowel lengthens before a tense formative. Alpha and epsilon both<br />
lengthen to eta while omicron lengthens to omega.<br />
*ajgapa + s + w ≥ ajgaphvsw
<strong>Greek</strong> Verbal Grammar 31<br />
Stems ending in a stop<br />
S.103 If the stem <strong>of</strong> a verb ends in a stop, when the sigma <strong>of</strong> the future/aorist tense formative is added<br />
to the stem, the following changes occur.<br />
Labial ps ≥ y blep + sw ≥ blevyw<br />
bs ≥ y<br />
fs ≥ y graf + sw ≥ gravyw<br />
Velar ks ≥ x diwk + sw ≥ diwvxw<br />
gs ≥ x ag + sw ≥ a[xw<br />
cs ≥ x ejlegc + sw ≥ ejlevgxw<br />
Dental ts ≥ s<br />
ds ≥ s baptid + sw ≥ baptivsw<br />
qs ≥ s peiq + sw ≥ peivsw<br />
S.104 Verbal roots that end in a stop undergo significant change in the perfect middle/passive<br />
because they are placed immediately next to the consonant <strong>of</strong> the personal ending.<br />
labial (p b f) velar (k g c) dental (t d q)<br />
gravfw diwvkw peivqw<br />
mai gevgrammai dedivwgmai pevpeismai<br />
sai gevgrayai dedivwxai pevpeisai<br />
tai gevgraptai dedivwktai pevpeistai<br />
meqa gegravmmeqa dediwvgmeqa pepeivsmeqa<br />
sqe gevgrafqe dedivwcqe pevpeisqe<br />
ntai eijsi; gegrammevnoi eijsi; dediwgmevnoi eijsi; pepeismevnoi<br />
S.105 Stops change when immediately followed by a theta in the aorist pasive.<br />
pq ≥ fq *blep + qh ≥ ejblevfqhn<br />
bq ≥ fq *ejlhmb + qhn ≥ ejlhvmfqhn<br />
kq ≥ cq *diwk + qh ≥ ejdiwvcqhn<br />
gq ≥ cq *ag + qh ≥ h[cqhn<br />
tq ≥ sq 1<br />
dq ≥ sq *baptid+ qh ≥ ejbapti√sqhn<br />
qq ≥ sq *peiq + qh ≥ ejpei√sqhn<br />
1 There is no example <strong>of</strong> this combination in aorist verbs in the New Testament.
32 <strong>Summary</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Basics</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Biblical</strong> <strong>Greek</strong><br />
Liquid Verbs<br />
S.106 The consonants l, m, n, and r are called “liquids.”<br />
S.107 Liquid Future. A liquid future adds es and then the connecting vowel. However, a sigma does<br />
not like to stand between two vowels so it drops out, and the epsilon and connecting vowel<br />
contract (men + es + o + men ≥ meneomen ≥ menou'men ).<br />
1 sg menw' I will remain poiw' mevnw<br />
2 sg menei'" You will remain poiei'" mevnei"<br />
3 sg menei' He/she/it will remain poiei' mevnei<br />
1 pl menou'men We will remain poiou'men mevnomen<br />
2 pl menei'te You will remain poiei'te mevnete<br />
3 pl menou'si(n) They will remain poiou'si(n) mevnousi(n)<br />
1 sg menou'mai I will remain poiou'mai mevnomai<br />
2 sg menh'/<br />
You will remain poih'/<br />
mevnh/<br />
3 sg menei'tai He/she/it will remain poiei'tai mevnetai<br />
1 pl menouvmeqa We will remain poiouvmeqa menovmeqa<br />
2 pl menei'sqe You will remain poiei'sqe mevnesqe<br />
3 pl menou'ntai They will remain poiou'ntai mevnontai<br />
• The future <strong>of</strong> a liquid verb looks just like the present tense epsilon contract verb.<br />
• Accents. The accent can also be helpful in identifying a liquid verb (but not in distinguishing<br />
it from an epsilon contract). A liquid future always has a circumflex over the contracted<br />
vowels.<br />
• Stem changes. Along with the different tense formative, the stems <strong>of</strong> liquid verbs sometime<br />
undergo a change in the present. For example, balw' is the future form <strong>of</strong> the verbal<br />
root *bal, which has the present tense form bavllw.<br />
S.108 Liquid aorists. Instead <strong>of</strong> adding sa as the tense formative, liquid verbs add only alpha and<br />
then sometimes modify the tense stem.
<strong>Greek</strong> Verbal Grammar 33<br />
Tense Stems <strong>of</strong> Verbs Occurring<br />
Fifty Times or More in the New Testament<br />
The following forms that are underlined should probably be memorized. See BBG for a fuller discussion<br />
<strong>of</strong> this chart and the explanations for each individual form.<br />
present future aorist act perfect act perfect mid/pas aorist pas<br />
ajgapavw ajgaphvsw hjgavphsa hjgavphka hjgavphmai hjgaphvqhn<br />
a[gw a[xw h[gagon - h\gmai h[cqhn<br />
ai[rw ajrw' h\ra h\rka h\rmai h[rqhn<br />
aijtevw aijthvsw h/ [thsa h/ [thka h/ [thmai -<br />
ajkolouqevw ajkolouqhvsw hjkolouvqhsa hjkolouvqhka - -<br />
ajkouvw ajkouvsw h[kousa ajkhvkoa - hjkouvsqhn<br />
ajnabai√nw ajnabhvsomai ajnevbhn ajnabevbhka - -<br />
ajni√sthmi ajnasthvsw ajnevsthsa ajnevsthka ajnevsthmai ajnestavqhn<br />
ajnoi√gw ajnoi√xw ajnevw/xa - - ajnew/ vcqhn<br />
ajpevrcomai ajpeleuvsomai ajph'lqon ajpelhvluqa - -<br />
ajpoqnh/ vskw ajpoqanou'mai ajpevqanon - - -<br />
ajpokri√nomai - ajpekrinavmhn - - ajpekri√qhn<br />
ajpoktei√nw ajpoktenw' ajpevteina - - ajpektavnqhn<br />
ajpovllumi ajpolevsw ajpwvlesa ajpovlwla - -<br />
ajpoluvw ajpoluvsw ajpevlusa - ajpolevlumai ajpeluvqhn<br />
ajpostevllw ajpostelw' ajpevsteila ajpevstalka ajpevstalmai ajpestavlhn<br />
a[rcw a[rxomai hjrxavmhn - - -<br />
ajspavzomai - hjspasavmhn - - -<br />
ajfi√hmi ajfhvsw ajfh'ka - ajfevwmai ajfevqhn<br />
bavllw balw' e[balon bevblhka bevblhmai ejblhvqhn<br />
bapti√zw bapti√sw ejbavptisa - bebavptismai ejbapti√sqhn<br />
blevpw blevyw e[bleya - - -<br />
gennavw gennhvsw ejgevnnhsa gegevnnhka gegevnnhmai ejgennhvqhn<br />
gi√nomai genhvsomai ejgenovmhn gevgona gegevnhmai ejgenhvqhn<br />
ginwvskw gnwvsomai e[gnwn e[gnwka e[gnwsmai ejgnwvsqhn<br />
gravfw gravyw e[graya gevgrafa gevgrammai ejgravfhn<br />
dei' - - - - -<br />
devcomai devxomai ejdexavmhn - devdegmai ejdevcqhn<br />
present future aorist act perfect act perfect mid/pas aorist pas<br />
didavskw didavxw ejdi√daxa - - ejdidavcqhn
34 <strong>Summary</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Basics</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Biblical</strong> <strong>Greek</strong><br />
di√dwmi dwvsw e[dwka devdwka devdomai ejdovqhn<br />
dokevw dovxw e[doxa - - -<br />
doxavzw doxavsw ejdovxasa - dedovxasmai ejdoxavsqhn<br />
duvnamai dunhvsomai - - - hjdunhvqhn<br />
ejgei√rw ejgerw' h[geira - ejghvgermai hjgevrqhn<br />
eijmi√ e[somai h[mhn - - -<br />
eijsevrcomai eijseleuvsomai eijsh'lqon eijselhvluqa - -<br />
ejkbavllw ejkbalw' ejxevbalon ejkbevblhka ejkbevblhmai ejxeblhvqhn<br />
ejxevrcomai ejxeleuvsomai ejxh'lqon ejxelhvluqa - -<br />
ejperwtavw ejperwthvsw ejphrwvthsa - - -<br />
e[rcomai ejleuvsomai h\lqon ejlhvluqa - -<br />
ejrwtavw ejrwthvsw hjrwvthsa - - -<br />
ejsqi√w favgomai e[fagon - - -<br />
eujaggeli√zw - eujhggevlisa - eujhggevlismai eujhggeli√sqhn<br />
euJri√skw euJrhvsw eu|ron eu{rhka - euJrevqhn<br />
e[cw e{xw e[scon e[schka - -<br />
zavw zhvsw e[zhsa - - -<br />
zhtevw zhthvsw ejzhvthsa - - ejzhthvqhn<br />
qevlw qelhvsw hjqevlhsa - - hjqelhvqhn<br />
qewrevw - ejqewvrhsa - - -<br />
i{sthmi sthvsw e[sthsa e{sthka e{stamai ejstavqhn<br />
kavqhmai kaqhvsomai - - - -<br />
kalevw kalevsw ejkavlesa kevklhka kevklhmai ejklhvqhn<br />
katabai√nw katabhvsomai katevbhn katabevbhka - -<br />
khruvssw khruvxw ejkhvruxa - kekhvrugmai ejkhruvcqhn<br />
kravzw kravxw e[kraxa kevkraga - -<br />
kratevw krathvsw ejkravthsa kekravthka kekravthmai -<br />
kri√nw krinw' e[krina kevkrika kevkrimai ejkri√qhn<br />
lalevw lalhvsw ejlavlhsa lelavlhka lelavlhmai ejlalhvqhn<br />
lambavnw lhvmyomai e[labon ei[lhfa ei[lhmmai ejlhvmfqhn<br />
levgw ejrw' ei\pon ei[rhka ei[rhmai ejrrevqhn<br />
marturevw marturhvsw ejmartuvrhsa memartuvrhka memartuvrhmai ejmarturhvqhn<br />
present future aorist act perfect act perfect mid/pas aorist pas<br />
mevllw mellhvsw - - - -<br />
mevnw menw' e[meina memevnhka - -<br />
oi\da eijdhvsw h/ [dein - - -
<strong>Greek</strong> Verbal Grammar 35<br />
oJravw o[yomai ei\don eJwvraka - w[fqhn<br />
ojfei√lw - - - - -<br />
paradi√dwmi paradwvsw parevdwka paradevdwka paradevdomai paredovqhn<br />
parakalevw parakalevsw parekavlesa parakevklhka parakevklhmai pareklhvqhn<br />
pei√qw pei√sw e[peisa pevpoiqa pevpeismai ejpei√sqhn<br />
pevmpw pevmyw e[pemya - - ejpevmfqhn<br />
peripatevw peripathvsw periepavthsa - - periepathvqhn<br />
pi√nw pi√omai e[pion pevpwka - ejpovqhn<br />
pi√ptw pesou'mai e[peson pevptwka - -<br />
pisteuvw pisteuvsw ejpi√steusa pepi√steuka pepi√steumai ejpisteuvqhn<br />
plhrovw plhrwvsw ejplhvrwsa peplhvrwka peplhvrwmai ejplhrwvqhn<br />
poievw poihvsw ejpoi√hsa pepoi√hka pepoi√hmai ejpoihvqhn<br />
poreuvomai poreuvsomai - - pepovreumai ejporeuvqhn<br />
prosevrcomai proseleuvsomai prosh'lqon proselhvluqa - -<br />
proseuvcomai proseuvxomai proshuxavmhn - - -<br />
proskunevw proskunhvsw prosekuvnhsa - - -<br />
sunavgw sunavxw sunhvgagon - sunh'gmai sunhvcqhn<br />
sw/ vzw swvsw e[swsa sevswka sevsw/smai ejswvqhn<br />
threvw thrhvsw ejthvrhsa tethvrhka tethvrhmai ejthrhvqhn<br />
ti√qhmi qhvsw e[qhka tevqeika tevqeimai ejtevqhn<br />
uJpavgw uJpavxw uJphvgagon - uJph'gmai uJphvcqhn<br />
uJpavrcw uJpavrxomai uJphrxavmhn - - -